


Dragon Keeper

by Blackwolfartz



Category: YuGiOh!
Genre: AU, Other, yugioh - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-07-22 00:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7411214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackwolfartz/pseuds/Blackwolfartz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peace is broken when a mysterious monster begins terrorizing the countryside, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Known only as the Sky Beast, it manages to evade even the strongest elite Casters. When young Apprentice Caster Yuugi Mutou falls into a cavern on what was supposed to be a routine trip to collect magic supplies, he falls right on top of a giant problem. But it's not what it seems. Everyone has a story to tell, even a monster capable of swallowing him whole.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clipped Wings

**Author's Note:**

> Ratings and relationships may change as per chapter.

Shit.

Shitshitshit…

The steep and painful tumble down the cliff face wasn't even the worst of his problems. It was what he found at the bottom when the world stopped spinning and he regained his bearings. Had he not spent the last half hour examining the suspicious markings on the ragged stone walls his eyes wouldn't have adjusted to the dark so quickly and the massive form in front of him wouldn't be as clear; he'd fallen ass-backwards into a real problem. Afraid to move, holding his breath he strained his eyes in the darkness looking for any signs of movement. Stillness, except for the shallow rise and fall of labored breathing, the large form hadn't reacted to the undoubtedly loud noise of Yuugi’s clumsy fall and crash. It couldn't react if it wanted to. Wounded and depleted of energy, the beast was fighting to stay conscious; it was dying. 

The young man knew this cave, having ducked into the nearest cavern opening to get out of the downpour outside. The storm had caught up to him faster than he was expecting and completely drenched him in cold water by the time he had reached the base of the mountains. His horse would be fine, thunder spooking her into a full gallop back to his grandfather’s house. Stranded until the storm died down, he pressed deeper into the cave to dry his clothes. At least he wasn’t here randomly, but he started to wonder if it had been a good idea to go anywhere alone. He wasn't the strongest Caster, his skills at talisman wielding was mediocre at best. Not that they didn't come in handy from time to time. In fact, there wasn't much need for Casters until recently. Only when the elusive Sky Beast began launching attacks on surrounding towns did the demand start to rise. That's why he was here in these mountains, to gather materials to help boost his power.

Yuugi just wanted to help his grandfather, who was far too old to be trudging up and down mountains himself. The least he could do was offer to help his grandfather run the shop and take care of all the shopping for supplies. And so he left the house early that morning and promised to be back before lunchtime. And things had taken a turn. Venturing deeper into the cavern, Yuugi followed his usual route, the small lantern he had strapped to his waist providing him with dim lighting so he didn't stumble. He proceeded carefully, keeping a hand along the wall to help guide himself through the growing darkness; he’d been in this part of the mountains so many times he could probably walk all the tunnels with closed eyes. 

The cavern widened and took a downward slant. It was at the end of this tunnel that something had caught his eye. Not the luminescence of the glow worms that hung like icicles from the high ceiling. Had he not been so used to this cave Yuugi wouldn't have even noticed the faint scrawling of indistinguishable writing, sloppy writing, at the edges of the tunnel. This one opened up into a space large enough to fit his entire house at least twice into an underground pool. The tunnel’s exit formed an irregular arch, the scribbles of writing etched along it from one end to the other. What was this? Hesitantly, Yuugi let his fingers run along the wall. He didn’t recognize this magic at all and it made the hair on the back his neck stand up. Something was here…

Yuugi quickly tapped his lantern, extinguishing his light and stood still as his eyes began to readjust themselves. The subtle glow from the runes along the tunnel arch became a little clearer in the dark, and though he still couldn’t distinguish one from another he took the time to memorize some; his pencils and parchment paper where still in the saddle bag on his horse. Carefully he crossed the threshold, keeping close to the wall. The writing was here, too. Scrawled all the way up the jagged wall surface in a spiral. The young man craned his neck to take it all in; it was going to take forever to memorize this, if that was even possible. Maybe his grandfather would know what this was, he’d have to come back here with the proper tools to record all this. In spite of the situation, he grinned because he knew how much his grandfather loved things like this. Sugoroku was the leading expert on ancient runes and extinct civilizations, he’d have a field day in this cavern.

The silence was suddenly broken by the sound of something very large and very heavy moving along the rough floor followed by a splash of water. Yuugi spun around to find the source of the sound, grabbing for the only weapon he had strapped to his belt. In his panic to free the jade handle dagger from its holster, he got a little too close to the edge of the cavern’s cliff, the path already narrow as is. The ground, already weakened and crumbling, gave way and before he could regain his footing slipped over the side and slid painfully down the steep incline. He scrapped his hands terribly in an attempt to slow himself down and keep from hitting his head on the way down. And although the underground pool wasn’t terribly deep, he’d rather not fall in and get soaked all over again. His fall was stopped abruptly by a huge mass and he lay still. Yuugi’s dagger had gone missing in his fall down the cliff, possibly broken. He froze when the sounds of gurgling reached his ears, the mass he had landed on upside down slightly stirring.

Down here there were glow worms spotted here and there, small patches that gently illuminated the outline of massive coils, stretched along the bank of the lake. He held his breath as his eyes followed them, they seemed endless. A monster serpent? Where was it’s head where he knew a maw of sharp teeth were probably waiting to clamp down on him at any moment?? There! The creature’s equally massive head lay motionless, slack-jawed and tongue hanging from the corner of its mouth. Aside from shallow breathing, the monster lay still even after Yuugi had crashed into it. He suddenly ducked as a woosh of air flew over his head, spraying him with droplets of water. That..that was the unmistakable rush of air from a wing! This was no serpent.

...Dragon. 

“...why do you not strike?”

Yuugi had not expected the disembodied voice and it made all thought grind to a halt. He dared not move, every muscle in his body tensed and his knuckles slowly turning white as he clenched his fists so tight he thought he’d draw blood. That voice was inside his head, surprisingly soft almost pleading. This dragon was obviously suffering.

“Strike…”

He couldn’t find his own voice. Not only was this dragon speaking to him, it wanted him to kill him. Why? When he could hear himself think again and the beast made no attempts to lunge at him, Yuugi shook his head slowly; he refused. 

The downed dragon let out a low rumbling growl and used what little energy he had to lift its head, small trickles of blood streaming from its nose. It used its clawed forearms to grip the floor. Yuugi stared wide-eyed as the beast opened a second mouth, sparks of light coming to life; it was preparing an attack.


	2. Gentle Giant

Yuugi never really understood the concept of someone saying they saw their whole life flashing before their eyes, staring down certain death in the face. He just thought it was something people said to make it seem more dramatic. Your entire life? How was that even possible? Did time slow down?

Yes, it sure as hell seemed like it.

Rooted to the floor, the Caster could have sworn he felt every muscle in his body. He could feel his blood running cold, his mind racing and his pulse skyrocket as the two-mouthed behemoth before him aimed that bright flash of white light in his direction. Everything around them became illuminated and he could see more details now than he could only a few moments ago. Some of the monster’s grand coils were submerged under several feet of water, the beast’s effort to help ease the pain of its numerous wounds. He could see some of the details of the dragon’s crimson scales, the two rows of tall sharp spikes running along the entire length of its serpentine body. And then there was the creature’s massive head, studded with impressive horns, the wide jaws of its lower mouth with tongue lolling out from one corner. The rows of glistening ivory teeth, and the ball of white energy forming in the second mouth meant to vaporize him where he stood. Yuugi closed his eyes at the last possible moment, waiting. He waited for an end that didn’t come...

The blinding light suddenly fizzled out, rather abruptly, and the beast crashed back to the floor. It let out what sounded like a painful groan before growing silent again. It took several minutes for Yuugi to remember how to use his legs and took a few cautious steps back. What just happened…? The dragon could have easily killed him right there on the spot. Yuugi straightened up slightly when the beast trained one amber colored eye on him, studying him, but made no other motions to launch any kind of attack.

“Tell me, Slayer, why do you not finish me off?”

The voice in Yuugi’s head again, it sounded so tired...

“I-I’m not a Slayer! I mean you no harm,” was all Yuugi managed to utter. This was the first time he had actually talked to a dragon; they don’t speak, at least that's what he was led to believe. This one really was something special. There was silence again as the crimson dragon processed Yuugi’s words, its thoughts slow. Yuugi heard it let out a very soft ‘humming’, considering the situation.

“...no. I suppose not. You smell neither of blood nor of the hardened steel of the weapons used to strike down my kin. But..”, the creature paused, its head turning slowly so both of its eyes could look at the small man in front of him, ‘..I sense a magic aura surrounding you. Surely, your magic could finish me?” 

“What? N-No, of course not! Why are..? I don’t understand. How can you be..,” Yuugi was starting to forget the situation he was in and was more curious how this dragon could communicate not only with human words, but in his head as well. “Why do you want me to kill you? I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I don’t want to. Is that why you tried to attack me, to try and get me to defend myself?”

The dragon didn’t answer. He didn’t have to, Yuugi knew the answer to that question. But he had other questions.

“You are stronger than you make yourself out to be, little one. Only one with skills such as yours could have possibly passed through my barrier. You can see them, can’t you? The runes on the wall around us…?”

“Wait, what?”

The young Caster let his gaze wander for a moment, turning slowly on his heel to take a look above at the cavern walls. He was further down now, the rune’s glow fainter. So this was draconic magic?

“Old magic, yes.”

“Are you telling me you wrote all of this?”

“I did.” 

Yuugi didn’t even mind the fact that the great dragon had seemed to have read his mind just now. He was more in awe of the writings on the walls. A barrier. So, he wasn’t even supposed to have seen the dragon at the bottom of the chasam. But he hadn’t done anything special, had uttered no revealment spells on his way down here. In fact, all of his talismans were still in the side saddle bags on his horse. Maybe because he was so used to this mountain, spells like these had no kind of effect on him. Movement behind him drew his attention back to the beast. It was trying to sink further into the cool water. The tension was beginning to ease from Yuugi’s shoulders the longer it seemed he was in no danger of being eaten. He was far too curious now, wanting to get to the bottom of this. There was something else, something in the back of his mind that until now he hadn’t let himself think about. But now, as he gazed upon this beast, he prodded that corner of his mind. Could it be true?

Yuugi didn't realize how long he had become silent and unmoving until the great dragon grunted at him, gently blowing a stream of warm air at him; dragon breath was something awful.

“You have more questions of me, little one? Your face is very telling.” With some painful effort, the dragon pulled his massive forearms back to tuck dangerous claws against his body as best he could. It made him seem just a little less intimidating, ‘ I can assure you that I have no intention of eating or harming you now.” 

So many questions. Where should he start? This dragon just seemed far too polite to be the rumored savage beast roaming the countryside, spreading death and devastation in its wake. The last attack was cities away, but all the reports told of glimpses of a dragon hiding in an immense storm with rain and lightning so blinding it left people disoriented. Whole cities and towns, entire populations decimated by one monster.

“Are you the one? The Sky Beast that everyone is so afraid of?” The question just spilled out of him. Yuugi hoped that he didn't sound rude. To his surprise, the dragon made a sound that almost seemed like a chuckle. Could dragons laugh…?

“No, not I. Your fear is misplaced. I take no pleasure in attacking your kind. This Sky Beast you speak of does not seem to share my feelings,” the great crimson dragon pulled some of its coils from the cool water revealing some of its more serious wounds, ‘Your people mistake me for this monster attacking your dwellings. These injuries are a result of my last encounter with man, a powerful sorcerer who has command of a white dragon…”

Yuugi only knew of one person who fit that description, though he'd not been face-to-face with him for a long time. Dragon Tamers were an extremely rare breed. Brave, strong and sometimes arrogant, they were among the elite. Powerful Casters who understood dragons more than anyone. Seto was no exception, practically royalty; for someone so young he held a lot of authority on the council. Yuugi stared at the wounds along the dragon’s body, feeling pity for the creature. It was going to take a long time for him to heal. So then if this dragon was innocent, that meant there was an equally massive beast out there somewhere. The thought made a chill shoot up the young Caster's spine. He shook his head; he tried to forget about that for now. There where other priorities... 

He wasn't sure what he should do now. Was this great dragon really telling the truth? He was quiet now, breathing becoming shallow and eyes slipping closed. Yuugi supposed the beast had exhausted itself simply speaking with him. There was a whole other set of issues he was going to have to deal with. His horse had ran off without him back home, his grandfather would worry. Yuugi concerned himself less about how long it would take him to climb out of the steep cavern and more about who was going to show up to attempt to rescue him. Surprising the dragon again while it was in this state could potentially be hazardous to everyone…


End file.
